Slept in this morning, which I needed after a great week of training. After church I decided to do a hard brick workout instead of my long ride since I was able to get 20 miles on the bike yesterday. Started off slow, legs where still a little tired from yesterday's run and ride, but was able to get into a nice groove once I was warmed up. My plan for the bike portion of the brick was to go at 25 miles at a pretty hard pace so I would really know what my legs would feel like coming off the bike tired. I was able to stay in the higher gears for the majority of the ride staying at a nice comfortable 85-90 cadence. Had to drop down to an easier gear a couple of times for a minute or 2 to recover a little bit but was able to jump back into right away.
Got of the bike in 1:06:57 for a 22.4 mph average
Jumped on the treadmill starting off at 6.0 mph and was surprised to not have that strange jelly legged feeling at all, I slowly eased the pace up during the first mile as my hamstrings where feeling a little tender. I went through the first mile in 8:19 and kept kicking up the pace, second mile was 7:42. At the start of the 3rd mile I was starting to feel it and new I was pushing my limits but still felt strong regardless. I kicked the treadmill up again and finished the third mile in 7:09 and the remaining .10 in :34 as I went pretty much all out at the end. I finished up the 5k in 23:44 which I am pretty darn happy with.
All in all a really good workout that gives me confidence going into my first triathlon in 3 weeks, can't wait!
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Saturday Long Run
Headed out to Crow Creek to meet up with the LU group for a long run, when I turned in to the parking lot I was a bit surprised to only see Phil there, apparently the Silvis crew either a) didn't get the memo, b) not bright enough to realize the weather conditions, or c) brave enough to weather the elements like hearty manly men, lol! I'm going to go for the latter, although in my case it probably is more like (b).
Phil was only running 6 this morning so I ran with him for the first 3 before he turned around. Even though Phil is still working his way back from an injury we started off at a good pace, and I needed a good long warm up this morning, my hamstrings were still tight from squats earlier in the week and deadlifts yesterday. It's still funny to me how an 18 mile run can leave me feeling fresh the next day but 5 sets of squats at a third of the weight I used to hit can leave me walking funny for a week. I suppose its all about conditioning and adaptation, my legs will adjust to the new workload eventually.
After Phil turned around I picked up my pace a little, with the wind at my back it was actually not bad conditions to run in. That changed when I turned around and headed back into the wind. It wasn't bad in most spots, the path along Duck Creek is pretty well sheltered by the houses and trees but there where a couple spots where it opens up and the wind would smack me in the face and slow my pace a little. I picked up my pace where I could and made the second half of the run a kind of fartlek workout. On the way back I ran into Jay, he had spotted me as he was leaving the Y, he was on his way to join the Corn Belt Crew at Happy Joes and invited me to join but I was 11 miles in and almost done and wanted to get home for pancakes that I knew where waiting for me thanks to my lovely wife.
Even though the group didn't make it out today it was actually just what I needed, I haven't run a solo long run in awhile and it was good to know that I could cover some distance at a faster pace by my self. I tend to run faster with the group so being able to pick up alone gives me the confidence going into the QC Distance Classic in a couple weeks, I'm hoping to beat my pr from last year of 1:51.
Now its off to soccer games for the boys...
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Phil was only running 6 this morning so I ran with him for the first 3 before he turned around. Even though Phil is still working his way back from an injury we started off at a good pace, and I needed a good long warm up this morning, my hamstrings were still tight from squats earlier in the week and deadlifts yesterday. It's still funny to me how an 18 mile run can leave me feeling fresh the next day but 5 sets of squats at a third of the weight I used to hit can leave me walking funny for a week. I suppose its all about conditioning and adaptation, my legs will adjust to the new workload eventually.
After Phil turned around I picked up my pace a little, with the wind at my back it was actually not bad conditions to run in. That changed when I turned around and headed back into the wind. It wasn't bad in most spots, the path along Duck Creek is pretty well sheltered by the houses and trees but there where a couple spots where it opens up and the wind would smack me in the face and slow my pace a little. I picked up my pace where I could and made the second half of the run a kind of fartlek workout. On the way back I ran into Jay, he had spotted me as he was leaving the Y, he was on his way to join the Corn Belt Crew at Happy Joes and invited me to join but I was 11 miles in and almost done and wanted to get home for pancakes that I knew where waiting for me thanks to my lovely wife.
Even though the group didn't make it out today it was actually just what I needed, I haven't run a solo long run in awhile and it was good to know that I could cover some distance at a faster pace by my self. I tend to run faster with the group so being able to pick up alone gives me the confidence going into the QC Distance Classic in a couple weeks, I'm hoping to beat my pr from last year of 1:51.
Now its off to soccer games for the boys...
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Setting Goals
So my typical MO for a week is to eat pretty clean for 4 out of 5 days during the week and then I usually blow up over the weekend. This is typically due to a much higher intensity training and then lack of preparation for what to eat so ordering pizza or going out for dinner becomes the out. This past weekend was one of the worst examples capped off by a Sunday night dinner get together at a tavern where I'm pretty sure everything on the menu including the salads where deep fat fried. I'm only guessing but i would put my calorie consumption for that one meal in the neighborhood of 2500 calories alone, with a double cheese burger, fries, half a plate of beef nachos, a sampling or 2 of my sons corn dog bites, and the wife's fried ravioli and mac and cheese bites. To say I felt horrible about myself after this meal was an understatement, not to mention how body felt that night and the next day, let's just say I don't get constipated easily, but that meal did it.
My goals this week were simple don't skip a single workout (I typically miss one or two each and every week, usually due to laziness) and to not eat any crap in my diet. So far through 3 and half days I'm proud to say I've done great. Usually when i travel I break down for at least one meal and I will mindlessly nibble on some sweet treat that is lying around at one of my stores. But the big test is going to be this weekend when a busy schedule of training, kids soccer and baseball games hit, so I'm going in with a plan and hopefully I stick to it.
Losing 90+ pounds was pretty easy in comparison to these last 10-20 I want to lose. So far it is requiring much more dedication and adherence to a strict diet, but I have a goal weight I want, need to achieve and it is right there for the taking I just need to step up to the plate and make the necessary sacrifices to achieve that goal.
Until next time, do todas what're others dont so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Hitting a wall and finding a way around it
Woke up late this morning which didn't start my day on the right note. Felt like crap in the pool today, made it through my warm up but just felt sore, tired and out of sync, really hit a mental wall half way through my main set and had to take a minute to collect myself. Decided to just finish up the set I was on, cut the rest of the swim short and move on to my weight lifting. After wards I had a revelation that really put things into perspective, even though I had a crappy training session in the pool and cut my workout short I still put in double the distance of any of the races I'm currently signed up for and if it were running and I was training for a 10k and I had just put in 12 miles I would be perfectly happy with that. That thought really put the whole thing into a new light for me.
Finished up the morning with a good weight lifting session focusing on chest, shoulders and back.
This evening I got 24 miles in on the trainer, even though my stomach was hurting before hand, seems to be feeling better now. I think the over indulgence of fried, greasy nasty food yesterday came back to haunt me.
Today started off bad but turned around and ended up pretty good, kept a good positive mental attitude towards things and that helped keep things from spiraling out of control.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Finished up the morning with a good weight lifting session focusing on chest, shoulders and back.
This evening I got 24 miles in on the trainer, even though my stomach was hurting before hand, seems to be feeling better now. I think the over indulgence of fried, greasy nasty food yesterday came back to haunt me.
Today started off bad but turned around and ended up pretty good, kept a good positive mental attitude towards things and that helped keep things from spiraling out of control.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A Time to Rest
Made the decision to sleep in this morning, it was tough but I'm glad I rode my trainer last night even though it may have been the reason I needed to sleep in. My plan was to run to the gym this morning lift weights and then an easy run home. In reality it is probably better that I didn't do this, this week is supposed to be a recovery so pushing my limits by running back to back days doesn't fit with the program. I'm trying to make adjustments since I can't swim until I get new contacts so I'm struggling with what to do and when to rest so an unexpected extra couple of hours this morning is going to do me good.
I will probably hit the bike tonight, riding is not nearly as taxing as running and is much easier on the knees, then go ahead with my run to gym tomorrow. Thursday I can ride in the morning and then either take it easy on Friday with a short run or just have a rest day before the Project Renewal Race on Saturday morning.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
I will probably hit the bike tonight, riding is not nearly as taxing as running and is much easier on the knees, then go ahead with my run to gym tomorrow. Thursday I can ride in the morning and then either take it easy on Friday with a short run or just have a rest day before the Project Renewal Race on Saturday morning.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Monday 2012-04-16
Since I am without contacts currently swimming is out of the program for awhile, which might not be a bad thing in the long run. This week is supposed to be a recovery week and it works perfectly into my racing schedule with the second race of the Revolution Race series on Saturday with the Run for Renewal. Not being able to to swim for a couple of days will allow me to get some extra running in early in the week so I don't have to worry about getting in a long run on Saturday along with racing.
Today I ran outside even though the wind was blowing really hard, the thought of running on thetreadmill dreadmill in my basement was not appealing in anyway shape or form. I actually did contemplate going to the Y to run there and then lift weights afterwards but even with the wind it wasn't that cold so I opted for outdoors.
Turned out to be a pretty good run, started off the first 2.5 miles running with Lucky even though I had to stop after each of the first 2 miles to let him rest. I have gotten considerably faster on my shorter runs and he isn't able to hold the pace for too long. After dropping him back off at the house I headed out for 2.5 more miles. The wind was starting to blow a lot harder and at one point I turned right into a big gust that nearly stopped me in my tracks. Even with the wind I was able to clock mile splits of 8:40, 8:25, 8:13, 7:59 and 7:49 for a total of 5 miles in 41:08. I was pretty happy with this run today and just how easy running this faster pace felt. I'm really starting to see an improvement in my running which is great after my early set back with my knee problems.
Will try to get 20 miles in on the bike tonight then an easy run to the Y (weather permitting) weights and easy run home tomorrow morning. I like the idea of running or biking to the gym as opposed to driving, more environmentally responsible.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Today I ran outside even though the wind was blowing really hard, the thought of running on the
Turned out to be a pretty good run, started off the first 2.5 miles running with Lucky even though I had to stop after each of the first 2 miles to let him rest. I have gotten considerably faster on my shorter runs and he isn't able to hold the pace for too long. After dropping him back off at the house I headed out for 2.5 more miles. The wind was starting to blow a lot harder and at one point I turned right into a big gust that nearly stopped me in my tracks. Even with the wind I was able to clock mile splits of 8:40, 8:25, 8:13, 7:59 and 7:49 for a total of 5 miles in 41:08. I was pretty happy with this run today and just how easy running this faster pace felt. I'm really starting to see an improvement in my running which is great after my early set back with my knee problems.
Will try to get 20 miles in on the bike tonight then an easy run to the Y (weather permitting) weights and easy run home tomorrow morning. I like the idea of running or biking to the gym as opposed to driving, more environmentally responsible.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday Morning Bike Ride and shocking news
My alarm went off at 4:45 this morning and I was so not motivated to get up for a ride. I laid their contemplating just sleeping in and then getting my ride in after church, even though I knew I would be less motivated once my day got started. I'm good working out at the very beginning and the very end of my day but in the middle I struggle with my motivation and energy. After much deliberation and a couple of rounds of the snooze button I unfortunately relented and went back to sleep for a couple more hours.
Once I woke back up I was informed that we weren't going to church this morning, apparently it had been a rough night for my wife. Due to the thunderstorms our dog spent the night pacing back and forth which on hardwood floors can be quite annoying for a light sleeper and I know both boys were up as well since they had joined us in bed at some point in the middle of the night. Upside, I was able to get my ride in after enjoying a cup of coffee and a couple handfuls of frosted mini wheat's.
My legs felt surprisingly good after yesterday's 18 mile run, in fact during my earlier debate I had thought about just sleeping in another hour and then going for an easy run, but that didn't happen. I had very little stiffness and soreness, normally after a long run my joints will be sore and my calves will be really tight and cramped, but not so this morning. I started off my ride nice and easy in a low gear for a long warm up just to work out what little tightness in my legs I had. Even though my legs felt pretty decent they did not feel fresh and the first 10-20 minutes were a bit of a struggle. After a got warmed up and got into a nice groove it was pretty much smooth sailing. I watched a couple of episodes of Deadliest Catch, good show to watch while pedaling away on a bike trainer, watching those guys work 18-22 hour days on little to no sleep hauling all that gear in horrible conditions makes riding my bike trainer in my basement seem like child's play.
Towards the end of my ride Deanna came downstairs crying and visibly shaken, my first thought was that either her sister or her sister in law whom are both pregnant had lost a baby. She couldn't form words to tell me what was the matter right away and then I started thinking maybe something happened to my Grandfather who is currently going through treatment for cancer and I yelled at her to tell me what was going on. In hindsight I wish I hadn't done that but when I saw her and how upset she was it scared me and I reacted poorly. When she finally was able to speak she told me that Gretchen, a friend of hers from high school had passed away last night. Apparently she had an asthma attack and her husband went to get her rescue inhaler and when he came back she was gone. The worst part is she leaves behind a young child and as a parent that really hits home. They weren't really close anymore, we had gone to her wedding a few years back but still it really shook her up and I feel awful for her. I couldn't even give her a proper comforting hug cause I was all sweaty from my bike ride.
Today's event's just remind me how precious life is and how fragile our existence here can be, one day you're going along everything is on course and the next some freak occurrence can derail your life. I can't even imagine what her husband is going through today, knowing that his wife is gone forever and having a child who will never get to know their mommy. It's heart breaking and my prayers go out to their family. Hearing news like that this morning, really puts my horrible last week in perspective; yeah I got a speeding ticket, my car broke down and I had a series of crappy things happen, but you know what I'm alive and my wife and kids are safe and healthy and all that other garbage that happened will just be a funny story 6 months down the road. Gretchen's husband, child and the rest of her family will miss her forever, the way I miss my mother everyday. It's sad and it just proves that we should live each day to it's fullest because you never know when it may be your last.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Once I woke back up I was informed that we weren't going to church this morning, apparently it had been a rough night for my wife. Due to the thunderstorms our dog spent the night pacing back and forth which on hardwood floors can be quite annoying for a light sleeper and I know both boys were up as well since they had joined us in bed at some point in the middle of the night. Upside, I was able to get my ride in after enjoying a cup of coffee and a couple handfuls of frosted mini wheat's.
My legs felt surprisingly good after yesterday's 18 mile run, in fact during my earlier debate I had thought about just sleeping in another hour and then going for an easy run, but that didn't happen. I had very little stiffness and soreness, normally after a long run my joints will be sore and my calves will be really tight and cramped, but not so this morning. I started off my ride nice and easy in a low gear for a long warm up just to work out what little tightness in my legs I had. Even though my legs felt pretty decent they did not feel fresh and the first 10-20 minutes were a bit of a struggle. After a got warmed up and got into a nice groove it was pretty much smooth sailing. I watched a couple of episodes of Deadliest Catch, good show to watch while pedaling away on a bike trainer, watching those guys work 18-22 hour days on little to no sleep hauling all that gear in horrible conditions makes riding my bike trainer in my basement seem like child's play.
Towards the end of my ride Deanna came downstairs crying and visibly shaken, my first thought was that either her sister or her sister in law whom are both pregnant had lost a baby. She couldn't form words to tell me what was the matter right away and then I started thinking maybe something happened to my Grandfather who is currently going through treatment for cancer and I yelled at her to tell me what was going on. In hindsight I wish I hadn't done that but when I saw her and how upset she was it scared me and I reacted poorly. When she finally was able to speak she told me that Gretchen, a friend of hers from high school had passed away last night. Apparently she had an asthma attack and her husband went to get her rescue inhaler and when he came back she was gone. The worst part is she leaves behind a young child and as a parent that really hits home. They weren't really close anymore, we had gone to her wedding a few years back but still it really shook her up and I feel awful for her. I couldn't even give her a proper comforting hug cause I was all sweaty from my bike ride.
Today's event's just remind me how precious life is and how fragile our existence here can be, one day you're going along everything is on course and the next some freak occurrence can derail your life. I can't even imagine what her husband is going through today, knowing that his wife is gone forever and having a child who will never get to know their mommy. It's heart breaking and my prayers go out to their family. Hearing news like that this morning, really puts my horrible last week in perspective; yeah I got a speeding ticket, my car broke down and I had a series of crappy things happen, but you know what I'm alive and my wife and kids are safe and healthy and all that other garbage that happened will just be a funny story 6 months down the road. Gretchen's husband, child and the rest of her family will miss her forever, the way I miss my mother everyday. It's sad and it just proves that we should live each day to it's fullest because you never know when it may be your last.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Mental Therapy Run
Today's run is what I like to call a "Mental Therapy Run" and I needed it after the crazy week I had. I won't go into all the details but if you care I have a separate post explaining it all, be warned it's a rambling mess of me whining and crying.
Met up with the group at 6am @ Crow Creek and figured we would do our normal 90 minute loop, meet back up and those of us who had more miles to cover would go out again, but that wasn't in the plans. We headed out down Devils Glen to State Street and then made our way down to the Isle of Capri and got on the bike path there. As normal we broke off into different paced groups and I found myself running with Anne today, she had 18 on her plan and I was shooting for 16 but really didn't care. By the time we made the turn on to State Street we had all but lost the main groups ahead of us, we could see a couple of people off in the distance but we were otherwise alone. After a pit stop at Mc Donald's for a bio download and quick sip of water from the faucet I was back on my way.
We made our way to the Isle of Capri and onto the bike path and I kept expecting to see a return group thinking they were going 45 minutes out and then head back but it didn't see anyone as 45 minutes on my watch came and went. I figured I would go 8 out and turn around, at this point I hadn't really considered the fact that I didn't have any water with me as I originally had planned on being back to my car after 90 minutes and with the weather as cool as it is I can go 10 miles with out water. Which brings me to lesson #1 I learned today, even though you think you know the plan, make sure to double check and then still go ahead and have a back up just in case. I should have had at least a small water bottle with me, I know better than that but really hadn't thought to much of it before heading out. Lesson # 2 - always have some water. Lesson learned.
We eventually did see a couple groups make their way back but we kept on trucking down the bike path and eventually turned around just after passing JOD and Centennial Bridge. Just before the ball field after numerous unsuccessful attempts to locate water Anne did share some of hers and it was delicious.
The trip back seemed like it lasted for ever, probably a combination of fatigue and nerves over not having any water on hand but we eventually made it back to the boat landing in Bettendorf where the rest rooms where open so I was able to get drink from the faucet. Not 1 minute after walking away did I realize I had a sudden and urgent need for a restroom, apparently my faucet hydration had awoken my plumbing and I needed to have a sit down conversation with the toilet. I know TMI but if you are reading this blog you are either a runner yourself and know exactly what I'm talking about and been there yourself a time or two or a really close friend of mine and have heard me say much worse things.
Making our way back up Devils Glen I was starting to feel the mileage but I was determined to finish strong and once we hit the nice flat section after Hy-Vee I started to pick up my pace. I felt bad cause I knew I was pulling away from Anne (Sorry Anne) but I think she has run enough times with me now to know that's how I like to finish.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Met up with the group at 6am @ Crow Creek and figured we would do our normal 90 minute loop, meet back up and those of us who had more miles to cover would go out again, but that wasn't in the plans. We headed out down Devils Glen to State Street and then made our way down to the Isle of Capri and got on the bike path there. As normal we broke off into different paced groups and I found myself running with Anne today, she had 18 on her plan and I was shooting for 16 but really didn't care. By the time we made the turn on to State Street we had all but lost the main groups ahead of us, we could see a couple of people off in the distance but we were otherwise alone. After a pit stop at Mc Donald's for a bio download and quick sip of water from the faucet I was back on my way.
We made our way to the Isle of Capri and onto the bike path and I kept expecting to see a return group thinking they were going 45 minutes out and then head back but it didn't see anyone as 45 minutes on my watch came and went. I figured I would go 8 out and turn around, at this point I hadn't really considered the fact that I didn't have any water with me as I originally had planned on being back to my car after 90 minutes and with the weather as cool as it is I can go 10 miles with out water. Which brings me to lesson #1 I learned today, even though you think you know the plan, make sure to double check and then still go ahead and have a back up just in case. I should have had at least a small water bottle with me, I know better than that but really hadn't thought to much of it before heading out. Lesson # 2 - always have some water. Lesson learned.
We eventually did see a couple groups make their way back but we kept on trucking down the bike path and eventually turned around just after passing JOD and Centennial Bridge. Just before the ball field after numerous unsuccessful attempts to locate water Anne did share some of hers and it was delicious.
The trip back seemed like it lasted for ever, probably a combination of fatigue and nerves over not having any water on hand but we eventually made it back to the boat landing in Bettendorf where the rest rooms where open so I was able to get drink from the faucet. Not 1 minute after walking away did I realize I had a sudden and urgent need for a restroom, apparently my faucet hydration had awoken my plumbing and I needed to have a sit down conversation with the toilet. I know TMI but if you are reading this blog you are either a runner yourself and know exactly what I'm talking about and been there yourself a time or two or a really close friend of mine and have heard me say much worse things.
Making our way back up Devils Glen I was starting to feel the mileage but I was determined to finish strong and once we hit the nice flat section after Hy-Vee I started to pick up my pace. I felt bad cause I knew I was pulling away from Anne (Sorry Anne) but I think she has run enough times with me now to know that's how I like to finish.
All in all even though I didn't have enough water or nutrition with me (I had one gel with me that I took at the turn around Lesson #3 maybe I don't need as many calories as I thought for a long run) it was a great run, Anne and I talked a majority of the way, okay I mindlessly rambled on, and we covered the entire gambit of topics from running shoes to kids soccer. And I reconfirmed something I thought I knew but, Lesson #4 No problem seems as bad after a 3 hour run. After the week I've had I really needed that run and I really needed it to be a good run as well. Had I not run with the group today I know with out a doubt I wouldn't have done 18 miles, I wouldn't have done it that fast and I wouldn't have felt that good afterwards. Big thanks to Anne for running with me and to everyone that shows up for these group runs, even though I don't run with everybody, we are all out there running together and it's just the fact that we are all committed to the same goal of being healthy and active.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Craziest week of my life
First just let me start off with I have had one of the craziest weeks of my life, and it hasn't all been good. Training wise everything has gone great even with all the hiccups I have experienced.
*A warning to any potential readers this is a long winded rant with a lot of whining and crying on my part about how my life has jumped up and bitten me on the back side. You have been fairly warned*
Monday, started with a great swim and lifted weights afterwards. Starting to get back into the groove with weight lifting and hoping I can reap some benefits from it in my overall fitness as well as my physique, yes I care about how I look and no I'm not shallow. Got an oil change* for my car cause it needed it and I was driving to Des Moines on Tuesday to pick up the President and COO of my company as well as our Facilities Manager so we could tour my market and scope out some new locations. After the boys went to bed hit the bike trainer for an easy night cap ride.
Tuesday I hit the pool for my long swim and another round of weightlifting, lower body this time. Squats are my new best friend or at least that is what I'm telling myself as I get back into them. At one point in my "meat head" days I could knock out pyramid sets of heavy squats in the 400+ pound range and hit as high as 600 lbs. for single rep so maxing out at 195 for 8 reps is only a slight dent to my ego but I will work my way back up to something respectful again soon, okay maybe not 500 lbs but different goals these days. Afterwards got ready to hit the road for Des Moines, and that is where the adventure begins. Coming into Iowa City I failed to notice the speed limit change and the highway state patrolman and got myself a lovely ticket for doing 75 in a 55. While I was waiting for the officer to finish writing up the ticket I sent my boss a text for letting him know I might be a little behind. After getting back under way I made it all the way to Grinnell before my car suddenly seized up and died as I was traveling down the highway. Now I don't know much about cars, but I do know that when I pull the dip stick there should be some oil on it, mine was bone dry. Long story short apparently that oil change I got, the technician either installed the oil filter cap wrong, or something was defective and oil was slowly leaking out of my engine from Monday afternoon until 10:15 Tuesday morning when it seized and died. Good news is their insurance is going to cover the cost of rebuilding my engine and the rental car until it is fixed, bad news is it might be a week or longer until I get my car back, which by the way did I mention it's still in Grinnell.
I was able to get a ride to my store in Newton where my boss came to pick me up and then we started our whirlwind tour of Iowa.
Wednesday and Thursday where spent criss crossing the state going from Ankeny Iowa, to Newton to Eldridge, to Morrison, IL and then finally ending up in Anamosa Iowa on Wednesday checking into our hotel around 10:30 after spending close to 7 hours driving. Thursday we headed back to Des Moines dropped my boss off at the airport at 11:00 for his flight then drove an hour an half to Webster City so my Facilities manager could see the store up there before driving back to the Des Moines airport for her flight at 5:30. Oh and I forgot to mention that I did get a run in on both Wed and Thur morning, pretty darn proud of those 2 workouts, could have easily just said sleep in you deserve it but I pushed myself to get them done and was thankful I did. Then I drove the 3 hours home to the Quad Cities.
At this point I was tired exhausted and ready for a nice easy relaxing Friday before the weekend, but I first had to get a bike ride in Thursday night.
Friday morning I slept in and maybe it was good maybe it was bad but frankly I don't care at this point. Got ready to take Casey to school, dropped him off came home to get ready to head out for the day and got a phone call from his school, I had forgot to pack his lunch, crap. Okay I was going to drop it off when I left before heading to exchange rental cars, FYI Ford Escapes are not a very fuel friendly vehicle, they get about 20 mpg and only have a 12 gallon tank so when you drive as much as I do you may have to fill up 3 times a day. Exchanged for a Chevy Cruze which so far is knocking out 35 mpg's which I'm happy with. Headed on up to Maquoketa Iowa before going to my radio remote in Anamosa (yes the second time this week I will have been in Anamosa) when the school called me again, I had forgotten Casey's lunch a second time. At this point I felt like the worst father in the world and I'm not even going to use anything else that has happened this week as an excuse. I felt awful and the stress of everything else that had gone on this week left me a little bit down in the dumps.
Finally made my way to Anamosa for my radio remote, which went really well, one of the good things this week. After leaving the store at 6 I felt like maybe my week had turned around and was looking forward to a nice weekend. Got less than a mile away before I realized "Not so fast my friend" when I rubbed my eye and my right contact subsequently popped out and disappeared into thin air. I pulled over and I searched every where, I was afraid to get out of the car for fear of it being blown off but after searching endlessly I had no choice but to exit the car. I searched every inch of that car and could not find it any where. If you have ever worn contacts and lost one you know that usually the just stick to your cheek or fall in your lap if you are sitting down, but no, apparently a black hole opened up in my lap at the exact same time my contact fell and swallowed it up into the nothingness, never to be seen again. Great now I had a 90 minute drive home blind in one eye, and I don't see well at night with both contacts.
I was mentally broken at this point and not in a very good place, the worst part was I didn't think I was going to be able to do the one thing I knew would make me feel better...run! I can't run with my glasses on, it makes me nauseous and gives me a horrible headache so I was dreading that my group long run was going to be derailed. After finally convincing myself that I was going for a run come Hell or high water tomorrow I was able to relax a little before bed knowing that if nothing else I was going for a run tomorrow, it maybe a short one, but in my experience any run is better than no run at all.
This has been a very long winded rant and for anyone who made it through all that you are either a) very bored with your own life and read to many blogs b) a glutton for punishment or c) a pretty darn good friend, thanks for reading.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
*A warning to any potential readers this is a long winded rant with a lot of whining and crying on my part about how my life has jumped up and bitten me on the back side. You have been fairly warned*
Monday, started with a great swim and lifted weights afterwards. Starting to get back into the groove with weight lifting and hoping I can reap some benefits from it in my overall fitness as well as my physique, yes I care about how I look and no I'm not shallow. Got an oil change* for my car cause it needed it and I was driving to Des Moines on Tuesday to pick up the President and COO of my company as well as our Facilities Manager so we could tour my market and scope out some new locations. After the boys went to bed hit the bike trainer for an easy night cap ride.
Tuesday I hit the pool for my long swim and another round of weightlifting, lower body this time. Squats are my new best friend or at least that is what I'm telling myself as I get back into them. At one point in my "meat head" days I could knock out pyramid sets of heavy squats in the 400+ pound range and hit as high as 600 lbs. for single rep so maxing out at 195 for 8 reps is only a slight dent to my ego but I will work my way back up to something respectful again soon, okay maybe not 500 lbs but different goals these days. Afterwards got ready to hit the road for Des Moines, and that is where the adventure begins. Coming into Iowa City I failed to notice the speed limit change and the highway state patrolman and got myself a lovely ticket for doing 75 in a 55. While I was waiting for the officer to finish writing up the ticket I sent my boss a text for letting him know I might be a little behind. After getting back under way I made it all the way to Grinnell before my car suddenly seized up and died as I was traveling down the highway. Now I don't know much about cars, but I do know that when I pull the dip stick there should be some oil on it, mine was bone dry. Long story short apparently that oil change I got, the technician either installed the oil filter cap wrong, or something was defective and oil was slowly leaking out of my engine from Monday afternoon until 10:15 Tuesday morning when it seized and died. Good news is their insurance is going to cover the cost of rebuilding my engine and the rental car until it is fixed, bad news is it might be a week or longer until I get my car back, which by the way did I mention it's still in Grinnell.
I was able to get a ride to my store in Newton where my boss came to pick me up and then we started our whirlwind tour of Iowa.
Wednesday and Thursday where spent criss crossing the state going from Ankeny Iowa, to Newton to Eldridge, to Morrison, IL and then finally ending up in Anamosa Iowa on Wednesday checking into our hotel around 10:30 after spending close to 7 hours driving. Thursday we headed back to Des Moines dropped my boss off at the airport at 11:00 for his flight then drove an hour an half to Webster City so my Facilities manager could see the store up there before driving back to the Des Moines airport for her flight at 5:30. Oh and I forgot to mention that I did get a run in on both Wed and Thur morning, pretty darn proud of those 2 workouts, could have easily just said sleep in you deserve it but I pushed myself to get them done and was thankful I did. Then I drove the 3 hours home to the Quad Cities.
At this point I was tired exhausted and ready for a nice easy relaxing Friday before the weekend, but I first had to get a bike ride in Thursday night.
Friday morning I slept in and maybe it was good maybe it was bad but frankly I don't care at this point. Got ready to take Casey to school, dropped him off came home to get ready to head out for the day and got a phone call from his school, I had forgot to pack his lunch, crap. Okay I was going to drop it off when I left before heading to exchange rental cars, FYI Ford Escapes are not a very fuel friendly vehicle, they get about 20 mpg and only have a 12 gallon tank so when you drive as much as I do you may have to fill up 3 times a day. Exchanged for a Chevy Cruze which so far is knocking out 35 mpg's which I'm happy with. Headed on up to Maquoketa Iowa before going to my radio remote in Anamosa (yes the second time this week I will have been in Anamosa) when the school called me again, I had forgotten Casey's lunch a second time. At this point I felt like the worst father in the world and I'm not even going to use anything else that has happened this week as an excuse. I felt awful and the stress of everything else that had gone on this week left me a little bit down in the dumps.
Finally made my way to Anamosa for my radio remote, which went really well, one of the good things this week. After leaving the store at 6 I felt like maybe my week had turned around and was looking forward to a nice weekend. Got less than a mile away before I realized "Not so fast my friend" when I rubbed my eye and my right contact subsequently popped out and disappeared into thin air. I pulled over and I searched every where, I was afraid to get out of the car for fear of it being blown off but after searching endlessly I had no choice but to exit the car. I searched every inch of that car and could not find it any where. If you have ever worn contacts and lost one you know that usually the just stick to your cheek or fall in your lap if you are sitting down, but no, apparently a black hole opened up in my lap at the exact same time my contact fell and swallowed it up into the nothingness, never to be seen again. Great now I had a 90 minute drive home blind in one eye, and I don't see well at night with both contacts.
I was mentally broken at this point and not in a very good place, the worst part was I didn't think I was going to be able to do the one thing I knew would make me feel better...run! I can't run with my glasses on, it makes me nauseous and gives me a horrible headache so I was dreading that my group long run was going to be derailed. After finally convincing myself that I was going for a run come Hell or high water tomorrow I was able to relax a little before bed knowing that if nothing else I was going for a run tomorrow, it maybe a short one, but in my experience any run is better than no run at all.
This has been a very long winded rant and for anyone who made it through all that you are either a) very bored with your own life and read to many blogs b) a glutton for punishment or c) a pretty darn good friend, thanks for reading.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Saturday Group Run
Met up with the group at Crow Creek at 6 am, much to my surprise there were 17 people there already. Amazing bunch of people, seriously can't say that enough, every time I run with this group it gets better and better.
I had 14 planned for today as we headed out down Devils Glen road towards the bike path, I had felt really strong after our run last week so I wanted to up my pace a little and see if I could hang with the lead group a little while longer today. Started off pretty well and was able to keep up with Jen, Byrne, John O. and the others for awhile but right before we got to the bike path Byrne got clipped by a tree sticking out over a fence line which snagged and ripped his shirt, I think that got his adrenaline going because after that they all seemed to hit another gear (one I just do not posses) and got trucking. I ran the majority of the bike path with Jay and Katherine and we carried on some nice conversation. Great thing about this group, always someone to run with and the conversations seem to come so easily and if there is nothing to say it's just good being out there with other people. We kept a pretty good pace throughout not sure exactly what my splits were my Garmin beeped low battery (apparently I forgot to charge it up after last weeks long run) on the way back on the first loop so its currently charging. I ended up ditching it for the second loop we did which was actually kind of nice. I love my Garmin and it is one of the best investments I've made in my running, but sometimes I become so reliant on it for feed back that I stop listening to my body and what it is telling me.
For the second loop we headed out with 7 of us, the pace was definitely quicker, though I'm not sure how fast I ended up going with out my watch, but at the end John, Michelle and Bryne broke away and finished up a few minutes ahead of me, while Anne and Jay took a slightly longer trip back to finish up with 17 miles.
All in all it was an awesome morning for a run. Arrived home to find that Casey had made pancakes this morning, and they tasted delicious, they added cinnamon and sugar to the batter. Then I got the privilege of steam cleaning the carpet for my darling wife and earned myself some extra "Good Husband Points".
After eating lunch I met up with my buddy James for an easy bike ride. We headed down to the bike path and planned on making our way down to Sunset Marina but right before getting to I-74 bridge it started raining so we headed back. Our justification for cutting the ride short was legit, he had been mountain biking for a couple hours that morning, I had 15 miles running in the books and neither of us wanted to ride much in the rain, works for me. Of course within minutes of arriving home the rain stopped but by that time I was in shut down mode. I've been pretty much up and at it since 5 am this morning and I believe the first time I've sat down all day has been to type this post so I'm good with that. Besides probably going to get a couple miles in on the trainer tomorrow morning before hunting Easter eggs. Now its time to go get ready for Church and then out to dinner with the family
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Have a Happy Easter!
I had 14 planned for today as we headed out down Devils Glen road towards the bike path, I had felt really strong after our run last week so I wanted to up my pace a little and see if I could hang with the lead group a little while longer today. Started off pretty well and was able to keep up with Jen, Byrne, John O. and the others for awhile but right before we got to the bike path Byrne got clipped by a tree sticking out over a fence line which snagged and ripped his shirt, I think that got his adrenaline going because after that they all seemed to hit another gear (one I just do not posses) and got trucking. I ran the majority of the bike path with Jay and Katherine and we carried on some nice conversation. Great thing about this group, always someone to run with and the conversations seem to come so easily and if there is nothing to say it's just good being out there with other people. We kept a pretty good pace throughout not sure exactly what my splits were my Garmin beeped low battery (apparently I forgot to charge it up after last weeks long run) on the way back on the first loop so its currently charging. I ended up ditching it for the second loop we did which was actually kind of nice. I love my Garmin and it is one of the best investments I've made in my running, but sometimes I become so reliant on it for feed back that I stop listening to my body and what it is telling me.
For the second loop we headed out with 7 of us, the pace was definitely quicker, though I'm not sure how fast I ended up going with out my watch, but at the end John, Michelle and Bryne broke away and finished up a few minutes ahead of me, while Anne and Jay took a slightly longer trip back to finish up with 17 miles.
All in all it was an awesome morning for a run. Arrived home to find that Casey had made pancakes this morning, and they tasted delicious, they added cinnamon and sugar to the batter. Then I got the privilege of steam cleaning the carpet for my darling wife and earned myself some extra "Good Husband Points".
After eating lunch I met up with my buddy James for an easy bike ride. We headed down to the bike path and planned on making our way down to Sunset Marina but right before getting to I-74 bridge it started raining so we headed back. Our justification for cutting the ride short was legit, he had been mountain biking for a couple hours that morning, I had 15 miles running in the books and neither of us wanted to ride much in the rain, works for me. Of course within minutes of arriving home the rain stopped but by that time I was in shut down mode. I've been pretty much up and at it since 5 am this morning and I believe the first time I've sat down all day has been to type this post so I'm good with that. Besides probably going to get a couple miles in on the trainer tomorrow morning before hunting Easter eggs. Now its time to go get ready for Church and then out to dinner with the family
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Have a Happy Easter!
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